Aer Lingus may need up to 380 more pilots for new aircraft and transatlantic routes

Aer Lingus may have to hire up to 380 pilots over the next 4 years as the airline expands its north Atlantic business, according to some calculations. The carrier will in the coming months receive the first of 9 Airbus A321neo long-range craft that it is acquiring over the next few years to expand its fleet of 50 planes. Industry estimates of the number of new pilots the airline will have to hire as a result of its expansion run as high as 380 over the next 4 years. It is understood that Aer Lingus will have to take on new cockpit crew to fly the A321s and replace pilots who are due to retire from the airline or leave it for other reasons. Aer Lingus said that the number of pilots employed by it has grown by 21$ since 2015, the year that IAG took it over, and it plans to grow by a further 41% between now and 2023. <br/>